True North

Is it possible that DFL Senator Steve Murphy has given up on his witch hunt to blame MNDOT Commish Carol Molnau for the collapse because he knew he couldn't hold her personally responsible?

Federal investigators have identified a design flaw as the cause of last year's Interstate 35W Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people, a congressional official said Tuesday.

The official, who was briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board, said that investigators found a design flaw in the bridge's gusset plates, which are the steel plates that tie steel beams together.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt an update being provided later Tuesday by the NTSB chairman, Mark V. Rosenker.

The findings are consistent with what the NTSB said about a week after the August 1 collapse, in which the bridge plunged into the Mississippi River.

Via Ed.

Last week the local media was (potentially) helping dig Murphy and Legislative Democratic leaders who have been on a mission to singlehandedly blame Molnau for the bridge collapse, by saying that the Dems didn't have the votes to withhold her reconfirmation or for fear of alienating Republicans who will be helpful in overriding a veto.

Is it possible, that maybe the facts got in the way? And Molnau didn't actually cause the bridge to go down. Now one has to wonder if, since they sincerely care so deeply on the cause, if the DFL legislators will investigate the original designers and political links to them?

I'm just saying .... DFL Governor Karl Rolvaag was in office in 1964, the year the bridge was built, it has to be his fault!

RF Resources: MNDOT page on the 35W Bridge

Crossposted at Residual Forces, go there to comment